Preschool teachers and parental assessments of children’s socio-emotional competencies

Sa？etak The results of previous research suggest a correlation between the development of a child's socio-emotional competencies and future success in various areas of life, as well as life satisfaction. Socio-emotional competencies develop during childhood in the context of various interactions, especially those within the family, preschool and school environment. The aim of this study was to examine socio-emotional competencies of preschool children from the perspective of parents and educators. The study also aimed at exploring whether parents and preschool teachers differently assess competencies of boys and girls, as well as whether the assessments depend on the parents' gender and their level of education. The study involved 347 parents and 60 preschool teachers who assessed 347 children between the ages of 4 and 8. A standardized questionnaire was used to assess socio-emotional competencies in four domains: interpersonal, intrapersonal, and affective child strengths and family involvement. The results showed that both, preschool teachers and parents highly rated all of the children's socio-emotional competencies. Still, preschool teachers, compared to parents, assessed children’s interpersonal strengths and family involvement higher. With regard to the child's gender, both, parents and preschool teachers rated higher the interpersonal strengths and family involvement of girls than boys, while no significant differences were found in the assessment of intrapersonal and affective strengths